Sustainability

Our commitments

Coles has been proud to serve the Australian community
for over 100 years. We employ over 115,000 team members,
work with over 5,000 suppliers and serve customers through
almost 2500 retail outlets around our country.

At Coles, we believe we have a broader responsibility to the
communities we serve and that we can make a positive
difference through our decisions and actions.

Over the coming months, Coles will release a range of
initiatives and commitments to drive more sustainable
operations, to reduce our impact on the planet and to
help our customers and team members lead healthy lives.

Our journey to becoming a truly sustainable company will
take time, but these commitments are an important first
step. We look forward to working with you to create a more
sustainable future.

Read about some of key commitments below or get the full document:

Commitment

Halve food waste in Coles
supermarkets by 2020

We will halve food waste in our supermarkets by 2020
by donating unsold edible food to people in need
and diverting food waste to animal feed, clean energy,
fertiliser and compost.

Our achievements and goals

Halve food waste in
Coles supermarkets
by 2020.

We help transform
organic waste into
energy and compost,
and provide farmers with
animal feed.

We donate unsold edible
food to more than 1,300
community organisations
through SecondBite.

Case study:
Turning food
waste into
compost and
energy

Last year in Western Australia
and New South Wales, we
sent thousands of tonnes of
organic waste to anaerobic
digestion plants where it was
converted into clean energy
and compost.

More than 50 Coles
supermarkets across Western
Australia send food waste, such
as out of date bread, bakery
items and vegetables, to an
anaerobic digestion plant in
Jandakot.

Through a waste management
program with Richgro, a
local, fourth-generation
family business that operates
the digestion plant, Coles
supermarkets are diverting
organic material from landfill
and turning it into compost
and energy.

Through its partnership
with SecondBite, Coles
Dunsborough supermarket has
donated more than 10,400
kilograms of surplus fresh fruit
and vegetables to St George’s
Community Care. This is the
equivalent of around 21,000
meals to local people in need.

Locals turning to St George’s
Community Care for support
have benefited greatly from
Coles’ partnership with
SecondBite, according to
Barbara Nigg at the charity.

“Each week our community
kitchen provides a two-course
meal for around 220 people
and our emergency relief
team makes around 15 food
hampers for people needing a
hand affording groceries in the
area,” she said.

“We also keep frozen meals
on hand for people who call
in for emergency food relief,
which Coles Dunsborough has
contributed produce through
the SecondBite partnership.”

Commitment

Provide 100 million meals
to Australians in need

By 2020, we will have provided the equivalent of
100 million meals to Australians in need.

Our achievements and goals

Provide the equivalent
of 100 million meals to
Australians in need.

Since 2011, we have
donated the equivalent
of more than 57 million
meals to SecondBite.

Since 2011, we have
donated the equivalent
of more than 15 million
meals to Foodbank.

100 million meals is the
equivalent of four meals
for every Australian.

Commitment

All Coles Brand packaging
recyclable by 2020

We understand the importance of appropriate
packaging in maintaining food safety, supporting
product longevity and reducing food waste. At the same
time we are committed to making our packaging more
sustainable.

While the majority of Coles Brand products are now in
recyclable packaging, by 2020 we will make packaging
for all our products recyclable at kerbside or in store.

Our achievements and goals

All Coles Brand
packaging (including
grocery, meat and
fresh produce) will be
recyclable by 2020.

A wide range of meat
and poultry packaging
will be 100% recyclable
and made from recycled
material.

Since 2014, Coles has
used Plantic™, the
world’s first ultra-high
barrier renewable and
recyclable material, to
package Coles Brand
fresh beef, pork and
lamb mince.

Case study:
Recycled and recyclable meat packaging

By using packaging for our
meat and poultry, which is
both made from recycled
materials and can be
recyclable via kerbside
recycling, Coles and Plantic
are introducing a landmark
initiative.

Since 2014, Coles Brand beef,
lamb and pork mince has
been packaged in recyclable
trays we source from our
great local Australian supplier,
Plantic.

In 2018, Plantic will supply
Coles with 121 million meat
and poultry trays that are
both recycled and recyclable.

Want to know more about Coles' commitment to sustainability across our business?